KISS’ Paul Stanley Addresses Gay Rumor, Discusses Working With Gene Simmons

There have been many rumors about KISS over the years, but the one that's always taken vocalist Paul Stanley by surprise is that he's gay. During a chat with New Zealand's The Breeze (seen above), Stanley was questioned about the craziest rumor he's heard about himself.

He told interviewer Robert Scott, "The oddest, to me, was always — and it's always persisted over time -- is that I'm gay. And it's an interesting thing, because if I were, I'd be proud to be whatever I am. As long as you're a good person, sexual orientation and stuff like that is totally irrelevant."

The rocker went on to add, "Besides having four children, honestly, I never saw a guy where I said, 'Gee, that's a close second to a woman.' Honestly, I never looked and said, 'You know, if I can't have that girl over there, I'm taking the bloke,' you know what I mean? So that's always been really interesting -- that some people can't find a way to take my comfort with sexuality to misreading it as something it's not. But, that being said, I more scratch my head at that. So that's always been something that was, and is, persistent. And I just kind of go, 'Well, the boys may not understand, but the women always did.' They got it in more ways than one."

Scott also asked Stanley the best thing about working with longtime cohort Gene Simmons. He responded, "I think the security and the familiarity. There's no substitute or anything that comes close to being with somebody for forty-some-odd years, you know -- forty-six years, I think, at this point. So, that is a blessing; it really is a blessing to have that kind of relationship."

He added, "Also within that, you define the terms of it and the boundaries. And I think what works so well for us is giving each other space and respecting our individuality, because we're very, very different. As different as we once were, we've certainly become more that, or stronger in our differences. So I think the best part is everything that's grown out of forty-six years together."

Check out more of Stanley's chat on a wide array of topics in the player above.

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